July 13--"I'm stepping a little back to see what's out there."
And with that, veteran chef Didier Durand revealed that he's selling Cyrano's Farm Kitchen (546 N. Wells St., 312-467-0546). He's keeping the buyer's name under wraps, but Durand says Cyrano's last day will be Aug. 31.
"After 20 years, I just need to move on," he said.
Durand's career extends considerably further. He arrived in Chicago on a work visa in 1986, taking the reins at Carlos', a four-star restaurant in Highland Park. After that, came stints at La Foret in Lake Forest and La Boheme in Winnetka before he moved to the city to work at Gordon, L'Escargot, Le Perroquet and Yvette Wintergarden. Wherever he went, first-rate, contemporary-French cuisine came along.
In 1996 he opened Cyrano's in River North, in following years changing the name to Cyrano's Bistrot, Cyrano's Bistrot Wine Bar and finally Cyrano's Farm Kitchen -- the last name change emphasizing the restaurant's connection to local farmers.
Durand led the charge of chefs who protested Chicago's brief foie-gras ban, testifying before the City Council and engaging, ahem, in a little low-key civil disobedience for the two years the ban was in effect. He has celebrated the anniversary of the ban's repeal every year since.
Away from the daily restaurant grind for the first time in 30 years, Durand says he has a few projects in mind.
"I've been trying to write a cookbook: 'Good Food Makes People Happy,'" he said. I might want to do a cooking show or a cooking school. I need to find time for all those things.
"I got to Chicago in 1986 and never looked back," Durand said. "I embraced America, became a citizen. Now I can share the happiness that Chicago gave me."
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
